E925
Chlorine
What the research shows
Not enough
published research on this page yet
A chemical element that is a yellow-green gas.
It is used to make bleaches, disinfectants and many consumer products.1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
What research says
Animal and lab studies only
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Open question
Health effects of chlorinated food2
Chlorine can stick to fats and proteins in flour and shrimp, but whether that affects health is unknown.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
What expert reviews concluded
Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.
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UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1985
Reviewed its safety in 1985.
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
Canada Permitted Health Canada · Bleaching Maturing Dough Conditioning Agents
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.
How we checkProducts
The 2 most-scanned of 43 products on Open Food Facts that list chlorine.
- Sol ti organic master cleanse superade Sol-ti 0 additives
- Cake & Pastry Flour Robin Hood · 2.5 kg 2 additives
References
- 1Chlorine. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Fukayama MY, Tan H, Wheeler WB, Wei CI. Reactions of aqueous chlorine and chlorine dioxide with model food compounds. Environ Health Perspect. 1986;69:267-74. doi:10.1289/ehp.8669267